Unnatural Sabotage
by TimeGuardian
Summary: Movieverse - The weather is out of control and the Thunderbirds are feeling its affects, along with dealing with equipment failure. When they investigate, they will find more than they bargained for as an old enemy returns, intent on their destruction.
1. Prologue

_**Unnatural Sabotage**_  
by Time Guardian

_Summary: The weather is out of control and the Thunderbirds are feeling its affects, along with dealing with equipment failure. When they investigate, they will find more than they bargained for as an old enemy returns, intent on their destruction._

_Prologue -  
Small coastal village in Malaysia_ -

The current village elder was having a grand old time as he motioned his visitor over to a rock near the fire he was tending in the middle of the village. In the seventy years that he had lived in the village it was rare to see visitors, save for the occasional relative that had left to live in the bigger cities that returned to visit. In fact, it had been exactly two months to the date that he had entertained his last visitor and truth be told, he was more than eager to show off to him.

However, this visitor was stranger than any that he had experienced in a while.

The strange visitor wore khaki colored shorts and shirt along with what looked like hiking boots and yet something about this man's behavior told the elder that his guest probably grew up in the area. He also wasn't much of a talker - when the visitor sat down in front of the roaring fire, the elder could have sworn the man was more interested in the fire. In the end, the visitor made a request to hear the history of the village and of the previous leader of the village.

The elder finally ventured a comment. "You know mister, you are the first one in a long while to ask about the stories of our elders. My father tended this village until his death two years ago. We saw many prosperous times because of him."

He watched cautiously as his visitor leaned back on the rock he was using as a perch and unleashed a harsh laugh. "I don't have time for your walk down memory lane, old man. I was told that your ancestor found an unusual rock of size and origin in a stone temple not far from here."

The village elder frowned. "You know much already. I don't know what more you want from me."

His visitor leaned forward, staring at him with such an intensity that- that-

What thoughts the elder was having cleared away quickly. He figured that he should have been scared or something but it didn't matter much, especially since he found that he could not move his body.

The visitor smiled evilly and got to his feet. "Now, as I was saying old man, tell me the story of your ancestor who found the stone."

The jungle was alive with sounds for a warm night. Insects buzzed, Frogs and toads both gurgled their tunes to the night sky and a band of monkeys that made their mischief at night sounded off obstinately when their find of fruit had been snatched by a fortunate bird.

The man that was making his way through the same jungle ignored the sounds and the surrounding animals. Dressed in a simple pair of khaki pants and shirt, it was nothing like the robes he was accustomed to wearing, but he wasn't in the mood for heat stroke. He had experienced heat more than once to begin with anyway.

Regardless, the Hood had a goal - he looking for the ruins of a stone temple.

It took close to an hour but he had finally coerced the story he was looking for out of the local village elder. It was about how the previous village elder had found a stone of great power in the area. The former leader chose to have a temple built deep in the heart of the jungle to maximize and take advantage of the power. The elder has said that many told of their ancestors witnessing a terrific flash of light coming from deep in the jungle and much of the jungle disappearing after that.

The Hood found that local stories usually had a grain of truth to them, so that was motivating him as he carefully travelled through the jungle to see if he could find it. By his estimates he had been traveling in the jungle for close to two hours already and so far all he had found was leaves, trees and enough underbrush to make him question his intent.

It was when the little path that he was on opened up that the Hood had the presence of mind to look up and take in the sight of the object of his journey, bathed in bright moonlight.

The stone temple he was looking at was definitely old, the stone that comprised it being dark and weathered. It reminded the Hood of the pyramids in Egypt to a certain extent but as he walked into the clearing around it, he got a true idea of its size, the top of it just barely outdistancing the tallest trees in the jungle.

For the first time in a long while, the Hood laughed long and loud. He touched the one side of his face that had been scarred from his last encounter with Jeff Tracy and his infernal sons.

He thought of all of the wonderful things that he could do to his enemies. With the story about this place he was sure that no one that was superstitious would dare come check on him and if the stories were true about the long dead leader finding a source of great power - this would all be so perfect.

_Better watch out, Tracy family. I'm back. _


	2. Just Another Day at the Office

_**Unnatural Sabotage**_**  
**by Time Guardian  
_Chapter One - Just another Day at the Office_

_Small town just at the edge of the Florida coast- _

_Welcome to Florida's number one source for news, WSUN, and I am your anchor, John Nesmith. Tonight the news is grim for our coastal towns as wave after wave of storms bombard the area. Our meteorologists have confirmed that these systems are coming in on their own, and are not associated with any hurricanes or air currents that are in the area. Residents in the affected areas are advised to seek higher ground and-_

The Mayor, who had been watching the newscast in disgust, switched off his tele-vid player and tried to face facts.

The storms that had been pounding them mercilessly for hours on end had produced flooding unlike anything that they had ever seen before in their history. They had also appeared without warning, leaving many people unprepared for what was to come. Many of the town's residents had already lost their lives under the deluge of water and the Mayor was desperate for help.

The Coast Guard had enough emergencies of their own and were stretched to their limits according to the last conversation that the Mayor had with their Captain.

Still, the calls for help came in through the one last working phone line into the Sheriff's office. The Mayor had stationed himself there, wanting to keep on top of how his citizen's were faring. He had grown up in this town and was determined to see this situation through, no matter what happened.

The town Sheriff was outside helping some of his deputies fill sandbags, hoping to prevent the water from invading at their location. They had to keep a safe haven - people were continuing to flock to that central location in droves. It was all they could do to make room for the dozens of people that had already fled their homes. By the last Sheriff's report, ninety percent of the town was already underwater, and that did nothing for the Mayor's comfort.

After the disastrous phone call with the Coast Guard and a subsequent communication from the National Guard indicating that they were speeding there as fast as they could, the Mayor had enough. There was no guarantee and no way of knowing if or when help would be coming to their small corner of the world.

Looking around for options, the Mayor turned to the radio unit housed in the distant corner of the Sheriff's office. Maybe if he could send some sort of distress signal -

That was it - he could try reaching International Rescue. After all, he knew what they could do.

A year ago, International Rescue was plastered all over the media for uncovering a major terrorist initiative and saving the life of the President of the United States. International Rescue had saved many lives that time.

_If they can't help us, no one can._

Decision made, the Mayor quickly rushed over to the radio unit. After fumbling around a few moments with the settings, he finally got the unit primed to broadcast. He quickly shouted into the microphone, ignoring any semblance of protocol.

"If anyone from International Rescue can hear me, we need help!"

* * *

As far as rescues go, this one was shaping up to be no walk in the park.

With the amount of flood water flowing beneath them at ground level, Alan Tracy knew that this rescue wasn't going to be easy. He sat in one of the secondary seats on the bridge of Thunderbird Two and wondered if it got any easier.

Ever since he and his family had tangled with the Hood and Shadow Force last year, Alan willingly threw himself into the family business with full gusto. Since then he had been in on more rescues than he cared to count. The faces of the people he saved were also too numerous to count.

"Alan, focus!"

John's harsh voice snapped him out of his reverie. His brother sat across from him in his own seat and judging by the look on his face, Alan realized that he had been missing something important.

Alan shook off his thoughts. "Sorry, John."

John shook his head. "What Virgil and I were saying before you zoned out was that since Gordon is on Thunderbird Five, we are going to need someone to go down on the rescue platform and pull in that mother and child that are trapped on an overturned tree right below our position."

Alan nodded, making a move to stand up. "I'll do it, no problem."

John shook his head firmly this time. "No dice, Alan. We both go. You haven't been on a rescue with flood waters this intense before. Even Gordon would tell you that currents down there would be the most treacherous. We could easily go from rescuers to the ones needing to be rescued in no time flat."

"He's right," Virgil piped up from the pilot's seat, "now both of you go suit up. The National Weather Service is reporting another massive storm system forming over this region within the hour. If we are caught up in that, we are the ones that are going to need rescuing."

Alan let out the breath that he had been holding and finally got to his feet. "FAB. What are we waiting for then?"

* * *

Scott Tracy set Thunderbird One hovering off to the side of the danger zone as he watched Thunderbird Two moved into position directly above the partially submerged and overturned tree. When they had arrived in the affected area to scan for survivors, Scott had quickly spotted the mother and child clinging onto the tree. The floodwaters were getting higher and Scott knew they would be reaching them soon, so he ordered Thunderbird Two to mount a recovery effort.

Unfortunately the same floodwaters were also destabilizing the tree. More than once, Scott had seen it waver and as a precaution he quickly fired a hook and rope from Thunderbird One. The rope was right on mark, arcing quickly and wrapping firmly around one of the thicker branches of the tree.

Immediately, Scott could feel the pull of the tree affect Thunderbird One as it was in danger of getting swept away. _Oh no, you don't._

He quickly reversed Thunderbord One's thrust. The line he had attached to the tree became taut and he no longer felt any resistance from his controls. _Now that's better._

Scott opened a channel to Thunderbird Two and spoke quickly. "Thunderbird One to Thunderbird Two - better get Alan and John down there ASAP on the rescue platform, Virgil. I'm not sure how long I can make sure that tree stays in one place."

"FAB."

* * *

_The rescue is underway, and more story is on its way as I continue to polish what I have. Hope you guys are enjoying the ride so far and if there are any questions, details about this project can be found in my profile._

_See you next time,_

_Time Guardian_


	3. Losing Ground

_**Unnatural Sabotage**_**  
**by Time Guardian

Chapter Two – _Losing Ground_

Alan and John quickly went down into the cargo area of Thunderbird Two.

In the center of the cargo area stood the rescue platform. It was open and circular in shape with low railings, perfect for reaching and for pulling victims onto it if needed. A control panel was affixed to one side that was wired to a winch and pulley system, perfect for getting a line to the people that were in tight spots. The top of the platform was attached to a high performance hydraulic winch via a cable interwoven with high grade metal.

John walked over to the platform and grabbed for one of the two yellow envirosuits that were draped over one side of the railing. "Something's fishy about this whole thing."

Alan looked at him quizzically as he grabbed the second suit. "The storms?"

"Yeah. Even with the environmental changes of the past twenty years, the weather shouldn't be this nasty all of a sudden."

Alan scoffed as he finished stepping into his own suit. "Come on John, look at what you're saying. Something or someone is messing with the weather – that's no small feat."

"No, it's not," John readily agreed as he quickly stepped into and zipped up his own suit. "And we are left to deal with the effects, no matter what the cause."

Alan zipped up and did a last check of his envirosuit. He then grabbed a cable trailing from one of the railings onto a hook on the front of his suit as John did the same. Alan knew they wouldn't fall far with their cables in place, but the distances involved still gave him pause more than once.

As they both stepped onto the rescue platform, the communicators built into their suits came to life with Virgil's additional information. "Guys, the tree is located directly below our position. I should be able to get you within a hundred feet but the wind speed is going to be hairy. Make sure you are hooked in tight. Lowering the rescue platform - now."

Alan held on tight as he felt a rumble and the cargo doors open below the platform. This was the part that always made him nervous, the initial moment where the platform is in position with nothing under it to support it - that meant nothing could stop them from falling to their deaths. Even though he had used the platform dozens of times before, it was that one thought that just wouldn't go away.

The huge hydraulic winch above them came to life, slowly letting out cable inch by inch, allowing the rescue platform to descend slowly. As they were exposed to the outside air, Alan realized what Virgil had meant when he said things were windy. Despite the amount of weight the platform had, he could still feel it swaying slightly back and forth as the wind whipped around them.

The sky, which should have been bright and sunny, instead was a mix of gray and purple. The sun was nowhere to be found and if it were not for Thunderbird Two's underside lights, they very well might not have been able to see anything at all.

"Look Alan, there they are."

Alan followed John's gaze until he spotted the partially submerged tree below them. He also noticed the long cable attached to the tree leading back up to Thunderbird One. It looked like Scott had a lot on his hands already and judging by the way Thunderbird One was moving, it was taking Scott quite a bit of effort to keep the tree from being swept away.

Near the tallest part of the tree, Alan could see an older woman through the gloom. Her clothes looked to be extremely muddy and she had her legs wrapped tightly around the branch she was on. He also noticed that she was bracing herself with only one hand, for the other was protectively wrapped around a little girl with red hair.

One foot lower, and then another. Time seemed to pass in slow motion as they were lowered down to their target. Finally when they were about a hundred feet away, the platform came to a halt.

John moved towards the controls for the winch system. "Okay, let's get to work. Keep an eye on them, Alan, while I prepare to fire a rescue line to them."

Through his suit, Alan was hearing strange noises emanating from the rescue platform which suspiciously sounded like groaning metal. _I don't like this._

Alan touched John on the shoulder to get his attention. "John, are you hearing any strange noises?"

John, who had been busy priming the control panel to fire the rescue line, listened for a moment before turning back to his work. "I don't hear anything. Stop being so jumpy, Alan. Turn on the intercom and make sure they know what's going on down there."

"FAB"

Alan adjusted the communicator in his suit to broadcast intercom style, and then leaned over to look at the people below. "Okay, we are going to shoot a rescue line down to you that you should be able to reach. Once you have it, do what you can to wrap it around yourself and the child. We will pull you up as soon as you are secure. Nod if you understand me."

When the woman nodded, Alan then straightened and turned to his brother. "They're ready, John. Go ahead and fire the grappling line."

In that moment, he again heard the sound of groaning metal. It was even louder this time, and Alan was sure that John couldn't have missed that last performance. "John, there's that sound again. Please tell me you heard it this time."

This time John straightened up and listened intently. Another groan quickly sounded, and it made him feel uneasy. "Damn, you're right. It sounds like it is coming from platform itself, but I don't-"

His sentence was abruptly cut off as the platform suddenly trembled violently. Alan grabbed onto one of the railings and looked desperately at John. "I don't like this."

Fear and confusion coursed through John's senses. "Hang on, Alan!"

Seconds later, their world was abruptly turned upside down. The railing that they had been holding onto turned violently and with a loud pop, detached from the frame of the platform. The bottom of the platform then groaned and gave way on one side, hurtling both of them towards the rushing floodwaters below.

* * *

_Um, yeah, I'll be hiding behind the nearest rock as I work on the next chapter. ;) A big thank you goes out to all that are enjoying the story so far, and I promise to get you the next chapter as soon as I can._


	4. Rescuing the Rescue

_**Unnatural Sabotage**_**  
**by Time Guardian

Chapter Three – Rescuing the Rescue

From his vantage point in Thunderbird One, Scott Tracy's heart nearly bottomed out when he saw the rescue platform nearly disintegrate right before his eyes. _No!_

Scott then breathed a hesitant sigh of relief as he realized that neither John nor Alan had hit the water, which meant they must have managed to grab hold of the remnants of the platform, which were currently twisting in the unrelenting wind. He could see little else due to the weather, and that only served to help him quickly make his next decision.

Scott turned his attention back to his communicator, his voice nearly a shout as he gave the order. "Virgil! The rescue platform collapsed! Get those two back up now!"

Virgil's tense voice came in reply. "I'm bringing them up now."

Scott said a silent prayer of thanks as he heard John's sudden and strained protest come through loud and clear. "No, Virgil. That woman and child are still in danger."

* * *

Virgil Tracy leaned back in his seat as he heard John's voice. Trust his brother to survive nearly anything. When the camera poised out the cargo door caught the collapse of the platform, he was ready to panic.

"John, are you all right? What's your status?" Virgil asked quickly.

John chuckled weakly in reply. "Hanging on for dear life and thankful that the bottom of the platform did not completely detach from the railings, otherwise I might have been swimming for it, or worse."

"John, the structural integrity of the platform is in question," Virgil argued, "With your weight and Alan's along with the-"

Virgil was more than surprised to hear John swear. "Damn. Alan is not in sight and he hasn't said anything."

* * *

Visibility was getting worse by the minute as the storm that Virgil had told them was getting stronger by the minute. Angry dark clouds were growing steadily and the wind that was whipping around them only served to make the broken platform twist around at a dizzying rate.

Right now though, John Tracy was worried about other things. For one thing he was doing his best to keep hold on the edge of the bottom plate of the platform, which was now pointing almost vertically. Now that he was thinking clearly he realized that there was no sign of Alan anywhere. _Did he fall into the water? _

He saw no sign of his brother at all and it worried him to death. "Alan! Where are you? Answer me!"

Silence. John had a bad feeling about this. _C'mon Alan, give me a sign, please._

A moment later, his worry turned to relief as John finally heard Alan groan. "Oww, I'm okay John but I'll probably be feeling this in the morning. I'm hanging on to the bottom of the platform. I assume you are on the other side of this since I can't see you. What happened?"

Virgil's worried voice broke into their conversation. "That's what Scott and I would like to know."

John shook his head to clear the mental fog. He kept as firm a hold on the bottom of the rescue platform as he could, despite wearing the thick gloves that were a mandatory part of the envirosuits.

Unfortunately from his vantage point, John had nothing to brace his feet on so he was left dangling. He had been on numerous mountain climbing trips over the summer, so his upper body could take it for a short time - John was more worried about the people they had come to rescue. "What happened to us will have to hit the back burner for now. Right now we are going to try this rescue again."

John tuned out both Scott's and Virgil's protests as he ventured a quick and cautious look down and didn't like what he was seeing. "Alan, we didn't get a chance to winch up the people trapped down there. We're not going to be able to pull them out of there properly if Virgil pulls us up now."

Looking around, John saw the box that the cables fire from, inches away from where he was hanging. By the way the box was pointed it looked like the cables were pointed downward, and with their current position, they may be able to save the people below. He knew that he was on the wrong side to help them any, but if the wiring was still sound, maybe they could still pull this out. "Alan, can you reach the controls to fire the rescue cables?"

Another groan issued from Alan. "I can try, John. The controls are only inches away from my right hand. Hold on."

John did his best to brace himself as he felt additional vibrations in the platform. Suddenly he heard another metallic snap and a low curse issue from Alan. "Uh, John we have a problem. The controls have come loose from the platform. They are dangling in midair at the bottom of the platform by the power cables. They seem to be intact - I think I have a plan to get to them."

John didn't like the sound of that and ventured another look downward. Sure enough, he was seeing exactly what his brother had described, which made John all the more nervous because there looked to be no way to get to them without being able to fly. "Wait, Alan, what are you going to do?"

He got his answer moments later when he saw Alan diving down. _Is he crazy?_

John's grip quickly tightened in reflex as the remains of the platform violently vibrated with the force of Alan's jump and abrupt stop at the end of the rope and tether that he had used to hook onto the platform. John risked a look down again and saw Alan swing towards the dangling control panel and manage to grab hold of it on his first attempt.

Seconds later John heard a triumphant shout from Alan. "Rescue lines activated!"

John flinched as he heard the box beside him come to life, firing two cables downward. Precious minutes later, he saw that the woman had managed to grab hold of the rescue lines and had them firmly wrapped around her and the child. They seemed to be holding steady. "Virgil, everybody is now on the line. Pull us up!"

"FAB!"

* * *

It was nearly ten additional minutes before Thunderbird Two had pulled all of them safely inside and it was nearly another fifteen minutes as a weary John and Alan escorted their patients to the small medical bay they had in a small room off the cargo bay.

John walked out of the medical area and sighed heavily as he began the arduous task of removing his envirosuit. He was nearly in the middle of the cargo area when he caught sight of the remains of the rescue platform laying there. _Alan and I were almost done in by this thing._

"We did good, didn't we John?"

He had been preoccupied with his thoughts, so he did not hear Alan approach behind him. Startled, John turned and glared at Alan as he shed the last of his envirosuit. "We did _well_, yes, but we are going to have to have a long talk about taking crazy chances out in the field. Alan, you know full well that you could have been killed out there pulling a crazy stunt like you did."

He wasn't surprised when Alan turned around with a half grin, his own envirosuit long gone before they had reached the cargo bay. "Guess it's a good thing we hooked in then, huh?"

In spite of Alan's reply, John grinned and shook his head. "You could say that, but if you pull that type of stunt again without letting us in on your plans, you do know that you will incur the wrath of ALL of your brothers, not to mention dad."

John watched as his brother cast his eyes downward. "Sorry, John."

"In the end two people are safe because of what you did, so I can't ride you that much. On the other hand, dad may give you more grief," John intoned with a wry smile. "Now let me get you settled in so we can have you checked out when we get back. I saw you nursing your shoulder back there when we were securing the patients and don't you dare deny it."

Alan looked at him and groaned dramatically. "Aw man, does this mean I get to miss out on cleanup when we get back?"

John chuckled and gave Alan a gentle shove in the back towards the cockpit. "Brat. Let's get going before I push you out of the open cargo bay without a rope."

* * *

_Thank you to all that have reviewed and apologies all around – delays are too long and involved to explain here. Much to my regret, time for January will not be my own. I will do my best to get the next chapter out soon though. _

_Till Next time,_

_Time Guardian_


	5. Unsettling Discoveries

_**Unnatural Sabotage**_  
by Time Guardian

_Chapter 4 – Unsettling Discoveries_

_Hours Later -_

Brains Hackenbacker stood in front of Jeff Tracy's desk and watched as the man in question stared at him in shock. "Sabotage? Brains, are you sure?"

This was one time he wished that he was wrong, but Brains could not deny what he had discovered.

When he had heard what had happened to the rescue platform on Thunderbird Two, he had made it a point to meet the boys when they had come back from the rescue. When Scott had given him the news about what happened to the platform, Brains knew that he had to see the damage for himself.

After having Scott and Virgil carry the remnants of the platform to his laboratory, Brains set to work by running various tests and scans on the remnants until one disturbing revelation emerged.

He nodded quickly. "Jeff, I-I personally p-put the p-platform together. The metal and s-solder I chose for it was durable and made t-to withstand weather conditions much tougher than what was encountered. No n-n-natural means broke that p-platform."

* * *

Jeff Tracy leaned back in his chair and rubbed a hand over his stubbled face. The debriefing had been tough enough - between Scott's report and John's recount of Alan's risky maneuver, Jeff had been on edge. To hear that this whole situation was intentional was something that he feared. "My God, Brains - Alan and John could have been killed. Any theories on when or where this sabotage could have taken place?"

Brains shook his head. "N-None of the intruder alarms had been t-tripped on Thunderbird T-two. I found t-traces of a s-substance on some of the metal, but I h-haven't had time to analyze it yet. I wanted to tell you what I had f-found first, Jeff."

He thought through his options. "Well then, until further notice we need to beef up security. If we have to land in a danger zone, I want additional monitoring equipment installed in all craft and scanning at all times. No exceptions."

"FAB."

When Brains left the room, Jeff sighed heavily and turned to the computer monitor sitting on his desk. On the screen, he could see an overhead view of the main part of the silos. There was no movement to be had - after each of his sons had reported in on what had happened, they had all went to bed.

* * *

John lay back on the bed in his bedroom and winced as his back and shoulder muscles ached. Talk about feeling it in the morning - he was feeling it now, though he was pretty sure that Alan was feeling worse, judging by the shot of painkillers his little brother was given at the hospital. After they had landed and debriefed with dad, it took both him and Scott to get a very sleepy Alan into bed.

John tried closing his own eyes but sleep wouldn't come, his thoughts returning back to the storms they encountered. Somehow between that perilous rescue and the weather, they had managed to get the majority of the town's inhabitants to safety before a coast guard contingent showed up to take up the rescue efforts.

Of course the sounds of groaning metal running through his memory didn't help either. John knew that at least in the last few months that the rescue platform had seen use more than a dozen times and in at least half those times, he had been using the platform. Nothing had seemed out of place then, which puzzled him all the more.

He tried to close his eyes again, but the thoughts wouldn't stop coming. _Too many unanswered questions._

With a muttered curse, he finally gave up. John opened his eyes and activated the tele-com on his wrist. "John to Thunderbird Five. Gordon, you awake up there?"

The small screen on John's communicator flashed a brief second before John saw Gordon's face fill the tiny space. Judging by Gordon's expression, John realized that Gordon had questions. "John, it took you long enough. The way Scott's report made it sound, you two nearly met with certain death. Since he's been known to blow things out of proportion, care to give me an update?"

John rolled his eyes. "We're both fine for the most part, though Alan is going to be nursing a bruised shoulder for a while and I am pretty sure my muscles are going to be retaliating on me for the next few days. Do you think we are cursed?"

Gordon chuckled nervously. "I hope not. It's bad enough that these weather patterns are getting weirder by the day. According to worldwide weather services, rainforests are drying up and some of the deserts are turning into oceans. Even that area that you guys went to today, the most rainfall they normally see in a year they received in less than four hours flat."

John shook his head. "I admit that does sound unnatural, but what I was talking about was our Thunderbird craft. Strange things have been happening around here, Gordon. Things have been missing during the last few times we have been on rescues, and didn't you even tell me that something happened on Thunderbird Four just before you relieved me on Five?"

On the small screen, his brother nodded slightly before realizing what he was agreeing to. "Oh come on, John, you don't think somebody is sabotaging us, do you?"

He shook his head and finally stifled a yawn. Sleep was finally catching up to him at last. "Frankly I don't know what to think, Gordon. All I know is that we are down one rescue platform and I really should get some sleep."

"You've been through a lot, John," Gordon replied understandingly. "Get some sleep. Things will look better in the morning."

"I hope you're right. Good night and signing off."

* * *

Tin-Tin sat on the bed in her own room and looked at her reflection in her full-length mirror. For the past few months she had been helping her parents keep things running smooth on Tracy Island along with increasing the amount of studying she was doing to prepare for college life. She knew she wanted to major in a science of some sort, and decided to prepare by studying the various science books at her disposal on the island.

Her routine left her little time for much else. Even when Alan had returned from a rescue that night she had only found out after the fact after a marathon studying session in her room.

Tin-Tin rubbed at the dark circles under her eyes and yawned. Sleep didn't seem to be coming as easy as it used to, but she had to try. She had too many things to do otherwise.

Grabbing for her silk pajamas she had draped over one corner of the bed, Tin-Tin quickly changed into them and then moved to take off her necklace. A gift from her parents, the only time she ever took it off was to sleep. As per her tradition, she draped it over her jewelry box on her dresser and then turned to go to bed.

* * *

The sounds of beeping woke up Tin-Tin. Groaning, she flipped around to turn off her alarm clock- only to find that it was not there.

Confused and still half asleep, she finally opened one eye and realized with a start that she was not in her bedroom in her own bed. She was in the cockpit of Thunderbird Two, sitting in the pilot's chair.

Sitting bolt upright, Tin-tin racked her brains, trying to make sense of all of this. Her hands flew instinctively to her neck in reflex, and that was when she realized that her necklace was now around her neck as well. _I-I don't remember any of this._

Shaking in uncertainty, Tin-Tin quickly got to her feet and bolted from the deck of Thunderbird Two.

* * *

_I found some time to get this going again at least for another chapter. Thanks for reading, and of course there's more to come. _

_Til Later,_

_Time Guardian_


	6. Suspicions and Regrets

**Unnatural Sabotage**  
by _TimeGuardian_

_Chapter 5 – Suspicions and Regrets  
_

Onaha set out a full breakfast including pancakes, eggs and sausage - after all it was a rare time where almost everyone was home. As she laid the last of the food laden plates on the dining table, she turned and looked out at the pool area and the strangely quiet sky.

For the past few weeks the weather had been wild and varied as any she had ever seen while being on the Island. Her instincts told her there was more to this when she noticed Kyrano watching the weather, but he was quite close lipped when she tried to prod him for information.

Sounds of footsteps echoed through the nearby hallway, and she turned in time to see Jeff walking through. Smiling, Ohana turned back to her efforts of putting the morning meal out. "Good Morning, Mr. Tracy."

"Morning, Onaha," came the sleepy reply as he took a seat at the head of the table. "How does the weather look out there today?"

She shook her head. "It's quiet. I hope it stays this way."

"I hope so as well. The boys have been going nonstop now for the past few weeks, and they could use a break." Jeff looked over the food on the table. "Looks good, Ohana. We will need all of the nourishment that we can get to get our work done today."

* * *

Alan Tracy woke up reluctantly to a throbbing ache in his shoulder. _Okay, so maybe that stunt I pulled wasn't so smart._

He gingerly got himself out of bed and dressed in a yellow shirt and blue shorts. Alan found that he was able to move his shoulder somewhat, but also realized that rest and a very light workload were probably going to be prescribed to him today. The prospect of that was not totally unwelcome - after all, due to the numerous rescue calls that they have been running recently he had had little time to think, let alone spend time with Tin-Tin.

_Tin-Tin_

More than once during the last few months he had tried spending time alone with her, only to be put off at every turn by her studying efforts. She seemed more driven of late and more than once Alan had caught her sleeping in the Thunderbird launch bay. Tin-Tin had claimed that it was the quietest place to study while they were on calls.

If today was going to go as lightly as he was thinking, Alan was going to make it a point to spend the afternoon with her.

* * *

John opened his eyes, and when he eyed the late hour on the clock on his nightstand, he tried springing out of bed. His body protested slightly, but relented as he quickly tossed on a blue shirt and jeans.

When he reached the dining area, he noticed that Virgil and Scott were already seated and Alan was just sitting down in his own seat. John laughed. "Morning Alan, good to see a bone jarring experience hasn't had any effect on your appetite."

Virgil, who was sitting across from them, shook his head and laughed. "Even if both of Alan's arms were broken, I'm pretty sure he would have found a way to have one of Onaha's breakfasts."

Alan smirked as he made a grab for the nearest stack of pancakes. "No doubts there. Enough talking, let's eat."

They ate for the next few minutes in relative silence. As he finished his meal, John looked around at his brothers.

Scott was sitting closest to dad, and he could tell that the events of the past few days were weighing heavily on his older brother. Virgil was a harder read, but based on the quick sneak glances he was giving Alan every few minutes told John that there was a deep level of worry there.

After cleaning his plate, Jeff put down his fork and stood up to address his sons. "Boys, finish your breakfast and go ahead and get your morning duties out of the way. Alan, since the doctor that checked you out only wants you on light duty for the week, I want you to go by Brains lab and see if he needs any help. John-"

John interrupted him. "I know what the doctor told me, I know I have another twenty four hours before you will allow be back in the rotation. I wanted to get some research done anyway on something I was thinking about last night."

Jeff nodded. "That sounds like a plan. Virgil, Scott, I want you two to perform maintenance on Thunderbird One and Two. Things are quiet for now, but I want to make sure they remain at top shape. I have a few things I need to check into, so let's get to it."

* * *

After waiting to make sure that everyone else had met up in the dining area, Tin-tin managed to slip back into her room and quickly changed into a pair of jeans and peach colored blouse. After tying her hair back into a long ponytail, she steeled herself for what was ahead and headed back towards the dining area.

When she entered she found that the Tracy's had already finished and had left the table. Her mother was picking up the dishes from the table when she turned and looked at her. "Tin- Tin, I have never known you to be late to breakfast. Are you feeling all right dear?"

"Fine," She lied, hoping that that her smile would belay any questions.

"Well I know you have had trouble sleeping lately. You have been keeping way too busy lately - you do know that Lady Penelope offered to have you over at her mansion again for a week or two. You could get away for a while."

"No, mom, no," she protested, feeling more irritable than she truly felt. "Drop it will you? I am happy here."

Onaha put her hands up in surrender. "Okay, okay. I didn't want to get in an argument with you this morning. At the very least, relax today, please? I overheard Alan saying that he was going ask you to go relax on the beach later with him. Maybe you should accept his invitation."

Tin-Tin sighed heavily at the mention of Alan. "Okay - Okay, maybe that's not such a bad idea."

* * *

When Alan walked into Brains' lab workshop, he wondered if the scientist had gone completely mad.

Brains was nervously looking between two different microscopes and furiously scribbling notes. On the large worktable beside him, he had various pieces of the rescue platform that had come apart on them. Alan couldn't help but shudder at the sight of the parts on the table - this was getting perspective the hard way.

He finally decided to break the tense silence in the lab and called out. "Hi Brains, I was wondering if you needed any help."

Alan watched as Brains stood up too quickly, with the effect of jostling his work table. Metal went flying to the ground. Alan moved to help him pick it up, but Brains waved him off. "Better let me do it. You don't want to jar that shoulder of yours."

Something was up, no doubt about it. Alan stared at him intently and asked again. "Brains, what is it? You look as scared as you did the time the Hood invaded our home."

He stepped back and watched as Brains picked up the last of the metal. Alan had never seen him so silent before and it was scaring him. "Okay, out with it, Brains, what has you so spooked?"

The questioning was having its effect. Brains finally turned to him and started explaining. "I-I had promised your f-f-father that I would analyze the wreckage of the p-platform and get back to him on the c-cause. I had already d-determined that no natural f-force could be behind it. I-I just f-f-finished my analysis, and it showed that a s-sp-unique type of acid was used on the metal joints to the point where all the p-platform had to do was f-fall apart with the s-slightest pressure put upon it."

Alan took this information in stride. "Considering how badly the platform fell apart, a lot of that stuff had to have been used, right?"

The scientist did not reply to this statement, instead choosing to turn back to the work table.

The lack of reply wasn't lost on Alan. "Brains, there's more to this story, isn't there?"

Brains didn't turn back around, but Alan could still hear the reluctant reply. "T-The acid used was an s-special f-formulated compound."

Alan walked around the table until he was face to face with Brains again. "Special, as it can be traced?"

"S-special as in I-I was the one who created it."

Shocked at the admission, Alan took a step back. "Whoa, Brains, hold it. Do you know what you are saying?"

Brains nodded frantically. "I-I am the one who made the compound. It c-cannot be found anywhere else. I c-caused the accident that nearly got you and J-John killed."

Alan did his best to reassure him. "Aw no, Brains, no. You would never hurt us. Maybe somebody copied your formula?"

This time, Brains shook his head sadly. "No, it is exact down to the last molecule. I-I kept a small s-supply of it for t-testing purposes here in the lab, and that s-supply is gone."

Alan backed away and sat down heavily on a chair that was sitting in a corner. "Does dad know?"

"Alan, until I can confirm this 100%, this p-particular piece of information s-stays between us. I don't want to alarm your f-father more than I have already. I have already alerted him to the known s-s-sabotage, but this puts a new light on where it's coming from."

That was putting things mildly. Alan looked between the mound of twisted metal and then back at Brains. What he was saying made no sense at all. Alan knew that none of his brothers would pull such a dangerous stunt and everyone else around here was trusted implicitly. Still, Brains knew his stuff, and that worried him. "You don't think there's an intruder on the island, do you?"

Brians shook his head vehemently. "P-preposterous. The s-s-sensors we have s-scattered all over the island would have picked up on any intruders immediately. Still, if you s-see anything out of the ordinary, report it to your father immediately. We can't risk what happened out there again."

Alan nodded eagerly in agreement. There would be no way to properly affect a rescue if they were forced to constantly watch their backs. "FAB."

Brains' smile held a hint of sympathy. "W-Why don't you go and r-relax on the beach? I-I will let you know if anything changes. I-I need to leave in a f-few hours to pick up F-Fermat f-from school anyhow. He's eager to s-see all of you again."

Alan grinned as he got to his feet and quickly backed out of the lab. "Right. I'm going to go give Tin-Tin the news. Thanks, Brains!"

* * *

The Hood stood in his sanctuary and smiled at the turn of events. There would be a direct opportunity for revenge, and he didn't even have to get his hands dirty. This was going to be good.

* * *

_Where have I been? All explained in my profile. Action is coming, and I will have it to you as soon as I can. Hope to see you there._


	7. Reluctant Betrayal

**Unnatural Sabotage  
**_by TimeGuardian_

_Chapter 6 – Reluctant Betrayal  
_

After breakfast, Jeff went into his office and sat down into his desk chair. So many scenarios ran rampantly through his head since last night that he had found sleep hard to come by. He knew that he needed to act upon the information that Brains had provided, but so far none of it made much if any sense. It was far easier to visualize a real enemy to act against versus this chaos.

However, Jeff did decide on one course of action.

On his desk tele-viewer he dialed in a number he knew by heart and waited for an answer.

* * *

Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward had never been one to keep regular hours.

Being a socialite in the proper circles almost dictated this on a regular basis. Being an operative for International Rescue dictated this even more.

When her tele-viewer rang, Lady Penelope was leaning back heavily into her seat in FAB-1. Her trusted servant Parker was flying her home from a from a particularly explosive event where she had helped MI-6 recover some very damaging secrets from the possession of a Russian diplomat. She was eagerly looking forward to a long bath and a few hours of sleep.

"Milady, we are only thirty minutes from home," Parker proclaimed from the driver's seat, "you have had a long day-"

Lady Penelope dismissed his proclamation with a wave. On the tele-viewer screen, a familiar name flashed at her.

"Nonsense, Parker. Jeff's calling and he would never call out of the blue unless there's trouble."

Leaning forward, she pressed a button on the tele-viewer panel built into the seat back in front of her. On the screen, Jeff Tracy's face appeared. However to Lady Penelope, something seemed off. Jeff still seemed to be in his robe and his eyes told of a restless night of sleep.

On the screen, she watched Jeff smile warmly. "Hello Penny."

She returned the smile, her senses on alert. "Hello Jeff. It has been a while. How are things?"

"Things are a little crazy right now and I am not sure what to make of it all. Have you got a few moments?"

She stretched and yawned. "I was doing a little late research for some friends anyway, Jeff. What's on your mind?"

Jeff then explained everything that had happened over the past few hours and his suspicions. When he finished, Lady Penelope shook her head. No wonder Jeff was having sleepless nights.

She did her best to reassure him. "Jeff, I'll check with my contacts and see if they have heard any noises about action against us. For what it's worth, I have personally not heard anything from the Hood or his activities. The boys scarred him for life, Jeff. I would think he would want to hide."

"I hope that's the only thing he is doing, Penny, but somehow I don't think that's so."

She sighed in resignation. "Always the chronic worrier. I will call you as soon as I find out anything, I promise. Lady Penelope out."

* * *

On a small stretch of beach on the far side of Tracy Island, the waves were crashing hard against the sand. The wind was gentle, swaying the leaves of the surrounding trees.

Tin-Tin sat cross-legged on top of a large boulder that was near the beach, book propped open in her lap. Between all of the security measures being implemented and the sleepless nights she had been having lately, she was more than eager to find an excuse to get out of the house and away from people.

However, the words on the page were doing nothing for her. She was clearly too preoccupied and what was worse was that Alan was inevitably going to show up soon. She certainly was in no mood to deal with him.

She closed the book with a decisive thump and slid off the boulder onto her feet. Maybe if she took a walk down the beach, she could clear her head and maybe-

"Tin-Tin!"

_Too late_.

She looked around in annoyance. Sure enough, she spotted Alan running down the beach and towards her. There was no avoiding it, so she plastered on her best smile and turned to greet him. "Hi Alan. How are you feeling?"

"What? Oh, better, much better. I nearly have full motion back in my shoulder anyway, see?" Alan deliberately rotated his arm in a full circle, only wincing slightly as his shoulder complied with his request. "What I came out here to tell you was that Fermat is coming for a visit. He's going to be staying for two weeks, isn't that great? We'll have everybody together again for a while."

* * *

In a densely thick jungle, a weathered stone temple sat in near silence, save for the occasion noise of birds flying in the distance. At first glance, it looks abandoned, to foliage in the immediate area not showing any clear paths to it.

Inside was a different story. The temple itself was pyramid shaped. Near its center, various fabrics of different colors were draped over and against various objects

In the center, the man known as the Hood sat cross-legged on an oversized pillow. Arms outstretched and eyes closed, the Hood cleared his mind and relaxed. So far his plans were proceeding nicely, even though he had not succeeded at getting rid of the Tracy family just yet.

Ah well, no matter. With the additional power that the Hood had found in the temple when he had come across it months ago, he was finding that the amount of control he had over things had increased a thousand fold. He would still have his chance for revenge and at the same time hold the Earth hostage. He would be able to do it all on his own - he didn't need the likes of Shadow Force this time. Even if he had to take the Tracy family down one by one, nothing was going to stop him this time.

The Hood chanted over and over, the sound echoing despite the volume. "The time is now. Attack Alan."

* * *

Tin-tin watched in some amusement as Alan stood in front of her and smiled. Despite being annoyed by his presence, it was good to see him happy.

It was then that a buzzing began at the back of her mind. It wasn't a painful sound, but Tin-Tin was finding it hard to focus on Alan.

* * *

Alan's joy at sharing the news turned to puzzlement as he watched Tin-tin's expression change. It was as if she was somewhere else, and it worried him.

"Tin-tin, are you okay? I know you have been studying a lot and I have been busy-"

He was surprised when she interrupted his rambling. "It's okay. I'm fine, drop it will you? How about we go exploring? I need a good walk after studying all morning."

Alan looked into her eyes. She seemed to be okay now, and exploring around the island seemed like a good idea - better than moping around the house with dad around. "Sure, let's go."

Over the course of the next hour he followed her as they slowly made their way around the perimeter of the island, pushing through numerous trees. They were also going up in elevation until at last they emerged onto a sandy clearing ending in a cliff overlooking the ocean. Alan recognized it instantly. While growing up, he had spent many a summer night here with his brothers around a bonfire telling ghost stories and roasting marshmallows. There were still many pieces of wood strewn around from where they had brought them up to either sit on or use for firewood. "Wow, this place sure hasn't changed much. I haven't been here for a while."

Tin-tin walked ahead of him and finally stopped at the edge of the cliff. "I come here for the view. The ocean crashing against the rocks is a soothing sound, don't you think?"

Alan walked over and joined her at the edge, listening to the pounding waves. He then focused his gaze out to the water reluctantly. "If you like that sort of thing - give me a well tuned racing engine any day, now that's my Zen."

He barely registered Tin-tin walking away from the edge of the cliff, so he was surprised to hear her voice suddenly come from behind him. "Ready to dive?"

Diving from here? Even if he was at best, diving from this point of the island was not the best idea. "Tin-tin I don't think-"

Alan turned around in time to see Tin-tin swinging a piece of wood towards his head.

* * *

Tin-Tin dimly recognized her own scream as Alan fell over the edge towards the water below. As much as she wanted to go after him, she couldn't get her body to move. Confusion mixed with worry coursed through her.

It was then that a familiar and unwelcome voice intruded into her mind.

"Tut tut, my dear niece, there's no time to check on dear Alan's status now. You have business with me, and I am in control of you."

_

* * *

_

Um, Happy New Year? ~ducks objects hurled in her direction~ It is a long story in more ways than one. The only one that matters for now though is this one. Working on the next chapter now. :)


	8. Call to Action

**Unnatural Sabotage**

_Chapter 7 - Call to Action_

_One hour later-_

John sat at a small desk in his room and pondered the data on the laptop in front of him. Even after breakfast and a shower, the events of the past few weeks still were weighing heavily on his mind.

He was by no means a meteorologist, but after all of the hours he logged in Thunderbird Five there were some weather patterns that he noticed on a regular basis. Now places that were normally dry during this time were dealing with an abnormal flooding and places that were normally warm were seeing near freezing temperatures.

John had established a data link with Thunderbird Five and was checking out sensor data that the station had logged for the past few weeks about the Earth. The absurdity of it all was that everything on the face of it seemed normal. The Earth's rotation had not shifted and there was no abnormal sunspot activity.

Lost in his thoughts, it took John a moment to realize that his laptop was beeping loudly at him. Smiling, he hit a button on the keyboard and watched as Gordon's face came onto his screen. "Gordon, what do you want? I thought you would be busy with the sensor readings this morning."

On the screen Gordon scowled back at him. "That's what I am calling about. I finished most of the normal sensor sweeps, but then I got a brief reading from home. Someone apparently left Tracy Island in the powerboat that Brains made for dad."

John shook his head. "Well, it wasn't me, and I talked to Scott and Virgil only a few moments ago. They are still working down in the hangar. Dad's at his desk having a teleconference with some scientists in Antarctica about the crazy weather, and last I heard, Alan was planning on talking to Tin-tin, wherever she was."

"Don't you think I know that?" Gordon shot back heatedly. "I was the one who hooked dad up on the teleconference and I also spoke with Scott and Virgil after I couldn't reach Alan on his telecom."

John didn't like where this conversation was going. "Come on, Gordon. You can track a boat from there."

On the screen, Gordon shook his head vehemently. "John, the GPS beacon on the boat is off, as in someone willingly shut it down soon after the boat left the island. You know as well as I do that I can do a blanket scan of the surrounding waters, but it will take twice as long to locate it."

John swore softly - whoever had taken dad's powerboat out knew everything about it. Alan wouldn't be stupid enough to modify the mechanics of the boat without permission, but the fact that Alan was not answering his tele-com didn't do his own thoughts any favors. "Keep trying, Gordon. I'll get Virgil and Scott and we'll try and track it from here."

"I'll do my best, John. Gordon out."

Shoving his laptop aside, John got to his feet quickly and made the calculations. The powerboat was fueled by the latest in solar power technology and with a speed of fifty-five knots, it meant that it could be anywhere by now. If only they had a way-

"John."

Surprised, John turned around at the sound of Alan's voice and was nearly rendered speechless by his little brother's appearance. "Alan! What the-"

Wet, bedraggled and dripping water onto the carpet, Alan shook his head. "Long story, rather would only have to tell it once. Do me a favor? Get everyone into the lounge - Onaha and Kyrano as well."

John eyed him warily and voiced the suspicion that had been quickly growing in his mind. "Something happened to Tin-tin?"

The look Alan gave him in reply chilled him to the bone.

* * *

Ten minutes later, Alan quickly walked towards the lounge, now dressed in a black t-shirt and blue jeans.

When he entered the room, he noted that everyone was there that he had asked for - all except for Tin-tin. His father stood up from where he had been sitting on the couch beside Scott. "Alan - son, are you all right?"

Alan held up a hand to ward off any more questions. "I am, but Tin-Tin could be in terrible trouble. She didn't come back here, did she?"

John spoke up from his chair in the corner of the room. "No she didn't. Before you ask, the powerboat has been taken and the onboard GPS disabled. Gordon's trying to track it down now. Alan, what happened out there?"

Alan took a deep breath and reluctantly dived into his explanation of how he went out to meet her at the beach.

"She started acting weird soon after I got there. Tin-tin seemed distant, but when I tried calling her on it, she brushed me off. When she suggested that we go for a walk, I thought she just wanted to clear her head. We made our way up to the ridge where we have had campfires before."

He closed his eyes and took another deep breath before he continued. "I followed her to where she had been standing at the edge of the cliff. After a few minutes of standing there, I turn around - and Tin-tin is swinging a chunk of wood at me."

Alan opened his eyes and watched as Onaha's face drained of color, all the while Kyrano was clasping her hands tightly. He expected that reaction, but when he saw the disbelief on his brothers' faces, he exploded. "It's true! There was little room to maneuver and when I tried to back away from her, I lost my footing and fell off the cliff into the water."

The collective disbelief in the room quickly turned into shock.

Virgil shook his head in amazement. "It's a miracle that you weren't killed. The water around that part of the island has plenty of rocks jutting out from it."

Alan nodded appreciatively as he looked towards his father. "Don't I know it. The impact of the water knocked the breath out of me, and it was all I could do to keep my head and make the swim for land. Dad, we have got to find her."

* * *

Jeff felt badly for Alan. He could see that his son was still trying to make sense of this situation, but Alan looked ready to fall apart at any minute.

"Woah, hold it, son," Jeff protested as he stepped forward. He put his hands on Alan's shoulders and looked him in the eyes. "Even if Tin-tin left the island on that boat we do not know where she is going yet or for that matter why."

Disappointment flashed through Alan's eyes. "But-"

"Mister Tracy."

At the sound of Kyrano's voice, Jeff turned around. "Kyrano?"

Kyrano exchanged a nervous look with Onaha before he spoke again. "Remember what you have seen long ago. Remember what you have seen my brother do. My daughter would not attack any of you willingly."

"Willingly?" Jeff echoed. "If you are saying what think you are - but he can't be involved, we left your brother at the bottom of the sea in an exploding underwater base."

Kyrano shook his head. "It isn't as simple as that. Our family line has seen power like that passed down from generation to generation. My brother inherited from our father and the power has also passed to Tin-tin. Mister Tracy, I am sure that my brother is alive and has control of her."

Jeff shook his head and sighed. His suspicions were confirmed, and in the worst way imaginable. "I was afraid of that."

"You mean the Hood is alive?" Scott asked. "He's been the cause of the Hell we have been through for the past few weeks?"

Kyrano nodded. "Of this, I am certain. The weather and the sabotage - both are things that he can easily influence under the right conditions."

"Let's go after him then," Virgil declared.

"Hold on," John spoke up. "We don't know where he is. Our best lead right now is tracking the boat. If the Hood has control of Tin-tin, it is a sure bet that he is having her rendezvous with him."

Jeff's mind raced with all of the information. What they needed now was a plan of action. "I have to update Lady Penelope. I asked her to look into this situation and see if she could get any information for us."

Suddenly a loud beeping ensued from a communication screen on the far wall.

"That should be Gordon, dad," John stated. "I told him that we were meeting in here."

Jeff walked over to the panel and pressed a button. "This is Tracy Island, go ahead Thunderbird Five."

The screen quickly flared to life, revealing Gordon. He wasted no time and quickly declared. "I found the boat, but you're not going to like the news that goes along with it."

* * *

_How about this for a cliffhanger? More to come soon._


	9. Stormy Weather

_**Unnatural Sabotage**_  
_By TimeGuardian_

Chapter 8 - Stormy Weather

Alan was doing his best to reign in his emotions, which was hard to do. Despite taking a hot shower beforehand he felt like he was freezing. He realized that the adrenaline rush that had powered his ability to get back to the house was leaving him and it left him feeling like he was ready to collapse. Alan barely even registered the fact that Scott had stood up and guided him to the seat that he had just vacated on the sofa.

Jeff looked at the communication screen and shook his head at Gordon's announcement. At this point nothing would have surprised him. "Gordon-"

"Dad, I'm not trying to be difficult here. The boat is out in open water, about seventy-five miles out from the island. The boat is intact but there is no one on it, with no signs of life in the immediate area."

John spoke up. "How about traffic in that area?"

"There's no way to know how much of a head start she had," Gordon complained. "The heading she used has her heading towards a major shipping lane."

"That means someone or something had to be there to pick her up," Virgil reasoned. "Kyrano, wasn't Tin-tin wearing a tele-com or anything that we can track her with?"

"I checked her room before I came in here," Kyrano replied sadly, "I found the tele-com that she had been given laying on top of her bed."

Jeff turned to Scott. "Scott, organize a recon mission. Get your coordinates from Gordon. Virgil, you join in as well. Take Thunderbird One and Thunderbird Two out and search the area. John, ride with Virgil and work with Gordon to see if you two can pick up on any clue where Tin-tin may be. Meanwhile- Alan, you need rest."

He was more than surprised when he saw Alan get up and slowly walk out of the room.

"That's the first time in a long while that he hasn't tried to argue a point," Gordon said.

"Cut him some slack," John countered. "Someone he trusted just tried to kill him. Between that and the events of the past few weeks, it's no wonder that he's out on his feet."

Jeff raised his voice to get their attention. "Boys! The way you can help your brother and Tin-tin is by getting out there and finding some clue as to the Hood's location. That is our only hope if we want to stop him. Now get going."

Virgil and John stood and joined Scott with a unanimous. "FAB!"

Once his sons filed out of the room, Jeff turned his full attention to Kyrano and Onaha. "I promise that we will get Tin-tin back safe and sound."

Kyrano nodded appreciatively. "You are a man of your word, Mister Tracy, but be cautious. For my brother to be behind what is going on must mean that he has gained more power."

Jeff nodded and then watched the two of them get up and slowly file out of the room.

"Dad?"

Startled, it took Jeff a moment to realize that Gordon was still on the comm screen. He took a slow breath before considering his next step. "It'll be okay, Gordon. We have to keep moving on this. Locate Lady Penelope, will you? We need to give her this new information."

* * *

_One hour later-_

Earlier when they arrived back at her mansion, Lady Penelope had Parker pack provisions while she quickly dressed in a simple pink blouse and pants tucked into hiking boots. Her sources had been strangely quiet about the Hood's movements, so she decided to take a chance and start around the area of Malaysia.

Now that they were airborne and Jeff updated her on the situation, Lady Penelope sat back in her seat in FAB-1 and sighed. Tin-tin under the Hood's control? It seemed impossible and yet one thing was clear - if they didn't find her fast, Tin-tin would be in deadly peril.

"Parker, ETA until we reach our destination?"

Parker replied quickly. "Ten minutes, milady. Once we arrive, what is your plan?"

Turning over the alternatives in her mind, Lady Penelope discovered that she wasn't too fond of the results. "I'm not sure. From what Jeff said, Kyrano is convinced that the Hood has some sort of stranglehold on the weather. When we get closer, we could very well fly right into his hands."

"That does not make me feel any better, milady."

Truth be told, it wasn't making her feel any better either. "We have no choice, Parker. We have to find a way to get Tin-tin out of his clutches."

Parker's reply was calm as he raised his arm to point out the window. "Milady, I have a feeling that the Hood knows that we are here. Look."

Lady Penelope was taken aback as she looked in the direction that Parker pointed: A large dark funnel cloud was growing to immense proportions and was headed straight for them.

She knew immediately that this was in no way natural - the area had been clear only minutes before with no signs of adverse weather. "The weather is fighting back. Kyrano may be onto something here. Evasive action, Parker."

But even as Parker did as she commanded, Lady Penelope knew that this was one time that they had a slim chance of escape. As Parker maneuvered away from the funnel cloud, the cloud seemed to move closer.

Thinking quickly, she decided on a course of action. Leaning down, she felt alongside her seat until she found the panic button that Brains had installed. Pressing it quickly, Lady Penelope sat up and watched as Parker continued his efforts to duck the large funnel cloud in front of them.

Part one of her plan was in place. Now she only needed Parker's help for part two. "Parker, do you trust me?"

The reply was strained but immediate. "Implicitly, milady."

Lady Penelope took a reluctant breath before she gave the command. "I want you to allow us to be caught in that funnel cloud."

It was nearly a minute before she finally heard Parker reply. "Yes, milady."

Lady Penelope kept a death grip on the armrest as she watched Parker steer deliberately towards the menacing cloud. Jeff trusted Kyrano's information, so it was a good bet that this funnel could would get her to where the Hood was located - if they survived the trip.

* * *

_A daring plan...continued next time. _


	10. Trapped

_**Unnatural Sabotage**_  
_By TimeGuardian  
_Chapter 9 - Trapped

Gordon Tracy paced the desk of Thunderbird Five. He had two communication screens going at once - one showed his father in his study at Tracy Island, working the computers at the command and control center. The other screen centered on his brother John.

They had spent the better part of a hour debating the path that the boat was traveling on that held Tin-Tin - at the very least, they were sure that it had held Tin-Tin. The powerboat could not have been used remotely and his dad made use of the scanners on the island as a precaution, confirming that she was no longer on the island.

As they were debating which islands or land that she could reach, a beeping sound echoed loudly from one of the communication panels Gordon was watching. Shaking his head, he flipped a switch under one of the screens. The image of John shrunk into half of the screen, allowing Gordon to bring Scott's image onto the other half of the screen. "I read you, Thunderbird One. Find anything, Scott?"

Scott shook his head wearily. "No, nothing above water at any rate. My vote is still for a submarine picking her up, but considering how close we are to the higher traffic areas, we have no way of knowing when or where."

John, who had been listening in, let out a nervous breath. "And Tin-Tin did not wear anything we could track her with."

Jeff sat at the command and control center and looked at his readouts. Two screens displayed data about the current oceanic conditions and the third displayed his communication feed with his sons. He had listened to their recent exchange, and he felt for them. Without knowing what happened when the boat had stopped, they had little to go on.

If only-

Suddenly, a staccato transmission sounded loudly from his communication feed. Jeff quickly adjusted the volume, and then realized that it was coming from Thunderbird Five. "Gordon, adjust that signal will you?"

He waited impatiently as he watched Gordon work the controls in front of him. The transmission changed and lowered in tone until he could just make out a regular pattern.

Gordon listened to a few seconds of it and his eyes widened. "Dad, isn't this Lady Penelope's distress signal?"

Jeff listened intently. Sure enough, the pattern that he had established with Brains for her distress signal was all there - a repeating old Morse code style transmission for SOS, followed by the letters I and R. "Yes it is - start tracking that signal right away."

He watched as Gordon adjusted a few controls and frowned as the signal faded away into silence only minutes later. "Dad, the signal...it stopped."

Jeff sat back heavily in his chair. A myriad of emotions went through him, but the importance of Peneolpe's action was not lost on him. "Gordon, triangulate on that signal where it last transmitted. As soon as you have the coordinates, transmit them to Scott and Virgil. Boys, once you get those coordinates use top speed to where they lead without delay. Are we clear?"

They all acknowledged him quickly and signed off, leaving his office silent once more.

The uneasiness that Jeff was feeling was growing by leaps and bounds. Lady Penelope was simply checking the area that she knew the Hood would be the most familiar with - it shouldn't have been this easy. Easy equaled trap in his mind, but was there anything that he could do about it?

* * *

"Lady Penelope? Lady Penelope, wake up!"

Moaning, Lady Penelope tried to do as the voice asked.

Then the voice pleaded with her again. "Lady Penelope, please!"

After some moments, Lady Penelope decided to open her eyes. Her head throbbed angrily at the effort, but after a minute she was able to focus. The first thing that she noticed was that there were no bars around her - definitely not the Hood's style at all.

Lady Penelope tried pushing herself up to find that she had been placed on a bunch of oversized pillows of many different colors and shapes. She felt a hand on her shoulder and was ready to throw whoever it was over her shoulder.

"Lady Penelope, take it easy. It's me!"

The voice was now recognizable. Relieved, she looked up quickly at the intruder. "Tin-Tin? Thank goodness you are all right. Could you help me up?"

Tin-Tin reached out a hand and she took it graciously. Once on her feet, Lady Penelope took a better look around the place.

She spotted Parker a few feet away. He lay propped up in a corner of the room, eyes closed. Lady Penelope breathed a sigh of relief as she watched his chest rise and fall - he was alive. "Tin-tin, where are we?"

"Some sort of stone pyramid. This seems to be a side chamber off of the main one."

The light in the room was low and flickering due to lit wooden torches attached to the walls. Lady Penelope walked over to one of the walls and put her hand against it. The stone under her hand felt smooth and cold to the touch. Why would the Hood bring them here?

Tin-Tin walked over to her. "I didn't want to come here, but I had no choice. Once I piloted Mr. Tracy's boat out in the middle of the ocean, the Hood picked me up - or at least he had a paid lackey with a sailboat pick me up. We made incredible time to this place - the pilot told me that the Hood was focusing the winds to be favorable to him."

Well, that explained a few things, but something about the young woman's explanation bothered her. "Tin-Tin, what do you mean by 'no choice'?"

The reply she received was unexpected. Tears welled up in Tin-tin's eyes. "I killed Alan!"

Lady Penelope's eyes widened at the declaration. Tin-Tin thought that she had killed Alan - from what Jeff had told her, Tin-Tin had left quickly after she had attacked Alan. "Tin-Tin-"

Before she could offer any comfort, Lady Penelope heard the Hood's voice. "Tin-tin, you are annoying my guests. Go sit in the corner like a good girl."

Looking around quickly, she noticed a square shaped doorway in the far wall. In the center of the opening stood the one man that had apparently defied death and an exploding underwater base.

Unlike the time so long ago at the bank of London, Lady Penelope noticed that the Hood was dressed in khaki pants, shirt and boots. The scar on the side of his face reminded her that he was not infallible and the smile that he had on his face chilled her to the bone.

She caught a movement out of the corner of eye. Tin-tin was moving towards him. "Tin-Tin, what are you doing?"

The Hood held up a hand. "Now, now. I simply have things 'under control'. Tin-Tin, go into the main chamber and wait on me. Do as I say."

Lady Penelope watched helplessly as Tin-Tin walked stiffly past the Hood and out of the room. She then looked at him directly. "You have her under your control, don't you?"

The Hood laughed as he came closer to her. "What do you think? Ever since I have found this place I have had the time of my life, and my powers have increased tenfold."

As he said those words, Lady Penelope nearly doubled over as a flash of pain ripped through her head. As soon as the pain passed, she straightened her back and struggled to catch her breath. "International..Rescue..will stop you."

His smile only widened. "You mean the Thunderbirds? I found the signaling device in your car and disabled it, but not before it had been blaring an obvious SOS for quite some time."

Lady Penelope looked at the Hood wearily. She knew the boys would come and considering the circumstances, they needed all the help they could get. She just had to stall for time. "What's your game, Hood?"

The Hood stepped closer to her until she could feel his hot breath on her face. "Simply put, you and my young niece are bait. It may be a little earlier than I had intended, but I can put these events to use all the same. Soon, the whole of International Rescue will be no more."


	11. Challenge

_**Unnatural Sabotage**_  
_By TimeGuardian  
_Chapter 10 - Challenge

From where he was sitting, John Tracy looked from the rush of green through the windows of Thunderbird Two and frowned at the screen that Virgil was consulting. "Are we there yet?"

Virgil looked at him in annoyance. "We're closing in on the coordinates now. Relax, will you? You're making me jumpy."

With the help of Gordon, they had been able to trace Lady Penelope's signal in record time, which led them to where they were now, over a heavily dense jungle. Thunderbird One was making a wide sweep of the area, while they chose to concentrate on the exact point of the signal.

Minutes later, Virgil groused as he looked out the windows. "We will be lucky to see anything, let alone land. According to the sensors, we are right on top of the signal now."

A break in the trees caught John's attention, and he pointed."Virgil, what do the sensors make of that?"

Looking in the direction that John pointed out, Virgil noticed the large stone structure below them and then looked back at the sensors. "This place is giving me the creeps. I see a stone pyramid as well as FAB-1, but FAB-1 is the only thing showing up on the sensors. Thunderbird One from Thunderbird Two - Scott, are you seeing this?"

Scott's voice came through the communicator. "Yeah - not sure what to make of the sensor readings. Gordon's just as perplexed - he's trying to tweak a few things on Five to see if he can find out why that pyramid is a no show. In the meanwhile, we need to get down there."

Virgil checked a few readings before offering his only suggestion. "The next shortest path looks to be from a clearing about a mile and a half away."

John looked out over the scene. "We would have a closer trek if we go through the village instead. It's only about two hundred yards away on the other side."

"Going through the village is going to cause too many delays and unnecessary questions," Scott replied. "Let's land in the clearing and get going. Tin-Tin and Lady Penelope are depending on us."

* * *

Lady Penelope's mind was whirling with questions as she followed the Hood into the main chamber of the pyramid. There were the same stone walls, worn smooth and dark with age as the chamber that they were in. There were nearly two dozen lit wooden torches hanging against the wall giving an unearthly glow to the chamber.

In the center of the room looked to be a large crystal. Towering over all of them, it seemed to be opaque from where she was standing and yet something about it's shape and color reminded her of something.

"It should, it's a larger version of the one that's around my neck."

Startled, Lady Penelope turned to find Tin-Tin standing beside her. She forgot that reading minds was one of Tin-Tin's newer powers. "You gave me a fright, but I do notice the resemblance now. What's going on, Tin-Tin? Why does he have control over you?"

Tin-Tin sighed and pointed to the large crystal that the Hood was standing beside. "He had it brought here. It is a strange type of crystal. A large chunk of it had been discovered near the village where my father and the Hood had grown up. When my father left the village, he brought along a piece that been beside the larger one. After I was born dad had it made into a necklace for me. He never knew where it had originally come from, but he told me that strange things always happened around it."

It seemed such a benign thing, yet Lady Penelope knew what Tin-Tin could do.

The Hood was still focused on the large crystal in the center, so she decided to focus on some unfinished business. "Tin-Tin, I need to set you straight on something."

"Shh, Lady Penelope, he's listening."

"I have a feeling his attention is mostly on that crystal in the center." At least she hoped it was the case. What she needed was an army but with Parker out cold in the other room, Lady Penelope needed all the help she could get. "We don't have much time, and the boys will be here soon. They will need all the help we can give him. Before that happens, let me put your mind at ease - Alan is alive."

Relief mixed with skepticism shone in Tin-Tin's eyes. "Lady Penelope, are you sure? I didn't kill him?"

Lady Penelope nodded. "Alan's has bumps and bruises, but is alive. Now can you tell me what happened to you?"

Tin-tin looked to where the Hood was staring into the large crystal. "Between that big crystal and the position of this place, he seems to have gained power. He invaded my mind - I had lost control but didn't know it at first."

"At first?"

Lady Penelope watched as the young woman seemed to struggle with remembering what she wanted to say. "I had trouble sleeping of late. I realize now that the Hood entered my mind at those times. He 'nudged' me to do things in my sleep. I know now that it was sabotage. He had me weakening equipment that the Thunderbirds use."

That filled in most of the blanks, but there was one last thing on Lady Penelope's mind. "What about the weather?"

Suddenly, the Hood's voice cut in. They both looked up to see him staring at them. "Nice weather we are having, isn't it? Take a look around this pyramid...it's the only one in existence in this part of the country. It is located over a central spot over a special underground volcano. The geothermal energy coming from it has been blamed for some wild weather in this area, so the locals built the pyramid to focus the effects. The village near here has seen perfect weather now for hundreds of years. Put this together with the crystal and my own power, and tests have been far beyond my wildest expectations."

Tin-Tin shook her head sadly. "You are playing with forces you don't understand."

The Hood chuckled harshly. "On the contrary, I know what I am doing. With the power I can generate I will have the Earth underneath my heel. You forget what I have had you do, dear niece, so do not underestimate me."

"You wanted me to kill," retorted Tin-Tin in contempt. "You failed, dear Uncle. What are you going to do now?"

Lady Penelope braced herself. Knowing the Hood's power and Tin-Tin's tendency not to back down from any challenge, anything could happen.

"Simple," the Hood replied. His voice took on a low hypnotic tone as he turned toward Tin-Tin. "You are going to kill Lady Penelope."

* * *

_Yeah I know. All that I can say is time has not been my own of late, and I do apologize. Not much more to say, other than I am nearing a little bit of a lull and am going to try to finish this story soon. Between my schedule and bouts of writer's block it's been a battle so far, but I promise this story will be finished_.


	12. Confrontation

_Unnatural Sabotage  
Chapter 11 – Confrontation  
by Time Guardian_

Lady Penelope looked from the Hood to Tin-Tin as he gave the order to kill her.

She inched away slowly as Tin-tin turned towards her, a look of helplessness on her face as she forced the words out. "Lady Penelope, run!"

As much as she had seen of their power, Lady Penelope was determined to stand her ground. "No, Tin-Tin, you have to fight him."

"I can't!"

Lady Penelope didn't budge. "I have faith in you. Tin-Tin, you haven't killed anyone yet and there's no need for you to start now."

She watched as the girl struggled with the words and herself. As suddenly as she started, Tin-Tin stopped moving and began to wobble, her eyes rolling upward.

From behind her came a quick movement and when Lady Penelope turned, she was relieved to see that Parker had rushed in and caught Tin-Tin before she could collapse to the ground.

"Parker! You're all right!"

Parker turned towards her in greeting but then looked over her shoulder in concern. "I've got her, milady, but I suggest you run!"

From behind her, Lady Penelope heard the Hood's maniacal laughter before hearing a big WOOSH noise that was getting louder by the second. Instinctively, she flattened on the ground just as one of the lit wooden torches blazed by her, tumbling end over end before it slammed against the ground only inches away from her.

Turning around, she scrambled to her feet, all the while keeping her eyes on the Hood. "Parker, get her out of here."

She heard him begin to argue. "But-"

"This is not up for discussion! GO!"

* * *

Once they got to the clearing, Scott, John, and Virgil had put their heads together. In the end, Scott landed Thunderbird One and joined them on Thunderbird Two. Seconds later when they reached the pyramid, Virgil tried scanning the pyramid again. "Scanner is still showing nothing there except for FAB-1."

"You don't think the Hood is trying to shield things do you?" John asked.

"We have seen him do some incredible things, so we need to take this fight to him," Scott muttered as he headed towards the door leading to the cargo area.

"Hold it," Virgil declared as he turned to face Scott, "Just where do you think you are going? We need a better plan than this. If John's right, that means the Hood has power to burn. What are your chances going to be against him? Alan nearly died thanks to that lunatic."

"I'm not going to stand here while Parker, Lady Penelope, and Tin-Tin are in there with him," Scott growled.

"Scott-" John replied nervously, "we have a change in that lineup. Take a look outside."

Scott moved closer to the windows on the deck and noticed that Parker was running out of the pyramid and towards FAB-1 with what looked to be an unconscious Tin-Tin in his arms. "I don't like this. Where's Lady Penelope?"

Moments later, they heard a familiar hail from the communicator. "Thunderbird Two from Tracy Island, come in."

Confused, Virgil made a move to broadcast a reply. "This is Thunderbird Two, but this is not a voice that I was expecting. Alan, what are you doing in the command and control center?"

Eyes wide, John and Scott huddled around Virgil as they heard Alan's reply come through. "You know, I told dad you guys would say that. The reason dad's not here is that he's in the lab with Brains, and they've come up with a solution to your pyramid and Hood troubles. Now listen up, because the way dad has this figured out we only have one shot at this."

* * *

Lady Penelope tried to catch her breath as she did a quick back flip to keep away from another of the torches that the Hood had mentally flung at her. The ambient light in the chamber was growing dimmer by the second as each torch he used went out uselessly on the ground due to her evasive tactics.

This was like waiting for the other shoe to drop. From where Lady Penelope was standing, she could easily see that the Hood was growing angrier by the second. _Why didn't he_-

"Good idea. I tire of this game," the Hood growled as he raised both of his hands outward towards her.

Her throat felt like it was in a vise. With a strangled gasp, she clutched at her throat while staring at him. _I can't last much longer._

"Hey! Hood! Did you miss us?"

Her eyes wavered over to the entrance of the chamber where she heard the voices.

The pressure around her throat quickly released and Lady Penelope collapsed to the ground in a grateful heap, gulping in a lungful of air as she struggled into a sitting position.

* * *

Once they were inside the pyramid, Scott and John found the main chamber easily enough. As they were advancing inside, Scott noticed that the Hood had Lady Penelope in a telekinetic chokehold.

They needed to get this plan rolling and fast. Scott shouted. "Hey! Hood! Did you miss us?"

The shout had its intended effect, and Scott was relieved to see that the Hood released her and turned his attention on them.

The Hood cackled in amusement. "Ah, Scott and John Tracy, the two people that helped to scar me for life," he stated as he ran a finger absently across the scar on his face. "I would say that this is a surprise, but then I would be lying."

"Wouldn't be the first time," John shot back.

"Looks like you've been busy," Scott added. "We have as well."

"That's strange, because I can see into your minds and all I see is a countdown," the Hood muttered. "What are you two waiting on?"

"Oh, you'll find out in five more seconds," John replied calmly.

* * *

_And you will find out next time as I wrap this story up. It's been a long time in coming._


	13. Sound Off

_**Unnatural Sabotage**_  
Chapter 12 - Sound Off  
by Time Guardian

Gordon Tracy scrambled around the various communications controls of Thunderbird Five, making precise tweaks in the transmission parameters.

On the main view screen, both his dad and Brains stared back at him, assessing his progress. Brains smiled appreciatively. "Y-You are d-doing great. One more t-tweak and we will be ready."

"Finishing that now," Gordon muttered as he keyed in the last of the parameters that Brains had specified, "and we are now officially ready for transmission."

"Excellent," his father replied, "everything is now in place. You know what to do, Gordon: Once you establish contact with Virgil, start the countdown."

He nodded, "FAB."

The image on the communication screen disappeared. Gordon quickly turned to the controls and started the final part of the plan rolling. "Thunderbird Two from Thunderbird Five."

Virgil's reply was quick in coming through. "This is Thunderbird Two."

Gordon let out a shaky breath. "Scott and John are inside the pyramid?"

"Yes they have been in there for exactly two minutes now. I even told Parker to go ahead and take off with Tin-Tin as Alan asked. What's next in this plan?"

"In less than a minute, be prepared to accept a special transmission. You are going to blanket broadcast it across the pyramid," Gordon explained, "Once you have everyone on board, use everything at your disposal to level what's left of that thing."

"But-"

Gordon cut him off. "Virgil, no questions, just get prepared to transmit what I'm about to send you. Scott and John are expecting action in the next forty five seconds and we have to be ready."

"FAB, Gordon. Let's get this going."

Gordon hit a button. A timer appeared at the bottom of the main communication screen displaying a dwindling countdown: Forty seconds...thirty-five seconds.

"Virgil, thirty-five seconds."

"FAB"

He wiped the back of his hand against his moist brow. _Scott, John - you two better be ready for this._

* * *

It sounded crazy at the time when Alan told them only of the plan's timeline.

As they distracted the Hood, John kept a mental note of the time. It had taken nearly two minutes for the two of them to find the main chamber. He even shot a grin Scott's way as he felt the Hood's power try and nudge about his mind looking for hints of their 'plan.' -

It was then that the Hood finally asked the question. "What are you two waiting on?"

"Oh, you'll find out in five more seconds," John replied calmly.

The Hood looked at him incredulously. "How-"

Scott shook his head and grinned. "Three...two...one."

* * *

Time was up.

Gordon punched the main button on his communication panel. "Virgil, transmitting now!"

Virgil's voice came through quickly. "FAB...receiving and transmitting now!"

* * *

A low rumbling groan ripped throughout the chamber. The sound itself seemed to loop around and had no signs of stopping. Though it didn't affect them, John and Scott looked on in astonishment as the Hood dropped to his knees, screaming in agony and covering his ears as if the sound could hurt him.

"They don't go halfway on these plans, do they?" John asked as he ran off to assist Lady Penelope.

Scott walked slowly over to the Hood, only to find that the man that had tortured and threatened his family now lay on his side in a fetal position, hands still firmly over his ears. He quickly picked the Hood up in his arms and turned to leave, quickly following John and Lady Penelope out of the chamber and the pyramid.

* * *

Virgil kept Thunderbird Two circling the area, all the while transmitting the sound that Gordon had sent. It was nearing five minutes since Scott and John went into the pyramid. Gordon had warned him not to send any communications to them, but the waiting was beginning to get to him.

Finally, Virgil saw movement on his monitors that he was hoping for - four people exited the pyramid. He lowered the rescue cables to them. He watched as Scott and John hooked in the Hood and Penelope before finally hooking themselves into the cables. After a high sign from Scott, Virgil then retracted the cables, bringing them up and into the cargo hold.

Soon he got a confirmation over the intercom. "We're on board, Virgil," Scott declared, "the area is all clear."

Virgil smiled as he made adjustments to the sound that he was transmitting over the area. "Just the words that I was waiting for. I'm adjusting sound frequency and pitch, and it's time to rock and roll this pyramid."

The doors opened onto the flight deck, and Virgil watched as Scott, John and Lady Penelope came out. Quickly, they each took an available seat, watching the pyramid outside as the sound became louder and higher pitched.

Seconds later, the pyramid cracked down the center. Some stones tumbled away while others crumbled into powder. After a minute the debris settled, leaving a mostly flattened landscape.

John looked at Scott. "That was a nice plan Dad and Brains cooked up, finding a sound that could render the Hood harmless like that."

Scott nodded. "Virgil, we have the Hood secured in the cargo area and ready for transport."

Virgil smiled as he cut the outer sound transmission and edged Thunderbird Two into a higher altitude. "I'm also playing the noise in the cargo hold that Gordon transmitted from Thunderbird Five. The Hood is going to be serenaded all the way to prison with the worst noise for him on record. Let's get him dropped off and head home, shall we?"

* * *

The next day, Alan closed his eyes and settled into a lounge chair outside by the pool. Most of his energy was back, but his father had told him to rest for the day anyway. The sun felt good and relaxed his sore muscles to the point were a nap sounded wonderful.

"Hello, Alan."

Opening his eyes at the greeting, Alan sat straight up. "Hi, Tin-Tin."

He hadn't seen Tin-Tin since she was brought home. Alan was relieved to see that she seemed to be none the worse for wear after her adventure. She wore her hair down, and dressed in white shorts with a dark purple shirt. The only thing that seemed to be missing was a smile. "Tin-Tin, what's wrong?"

Alan shifted sideways and beckoned her to sit down beside him. As she sat down, Tin-Tin turned to face him with a weak smile. "I'm glad that you are safe. I just wanted to apol-"

Frowning, Alan cut her off. "Don't. You have nothing to apologize for. The sabotage, the weather, and even the mind control - that was all the Hood's doing, not yours."

He watched her uncertain gaze a moment before adding, "Dad and the others understand as well. We knew you weren't being yourself. In fact, Brains is in the lab now, figuring out what to add to the Island defenses so that the Hood can never hurt you again."

Tin-Tin's smile was stronger now and she leaned forward, giving him a hug. "Thank you."

Eventually she let him go and got up. "Um, I'll let you get back to your nap. I just wanted to make sure that you were okay and all. See you later?"

Alan nodded, and she walked back inside.

Smiling, he shifted back around and leaned back, closing his eyes. Before he could even think of drifting to sleep, an alert klaxon sounded throughout the house.

Alan sat straight up again with a groan. Everything was back to normal - or at least what passed for normal on Tracy Island.

THE END

* * *

_And that's the end of this story. If you were here for the long haul, I hope I made the wait worth it. This will be it for me in this fandom for a while - my current ideas are leading me elsewhere, and I have a lot of reading to catch up on. _

_Until we meet again,_

_TimeGuardian _


End file.
